✨ Big Update: Multiplayer & Hand Tracking!
We have an exciting update to share with you today, bringing two big new features to Puzzling Places on Quest!
Online Multiplayer
Firstly, we're adding an Online Multiplayer to all Quest players. This means you can now pair up and puzzle with a friend across the world, regardless if they're on Quest 1, 2, 3, and Pro!
Note: Pico and PS VR2 multiplayer will be coming at a later date, so stay tuned!
Refer to our Multiplayer page the details about how it all works.
Hand Tracking
Now, onto a feature you've been quite vocal about—Hand Tracking! Available for all Quest players, you can now shed those controllers and play the game entirely with your hands.
When you play a puzzle with hand tracking for the first time, you’ll encounter a quick in-game tutorial to learn the ropes. However, you can always refer to the online guide for all hand tracking gestures and features.
Local Mixed Reality Multiplayer
We're also introducing Local Mixed Reality (MR) Multiplayer exclusively for Quest 2, 3, and Pro players!
By combining Passthrough mode + Meta’s Shared Spatial Anchors technology, you and a friend can put on your Quests in the same room and puzzle together in Mixed Reality!
For Quest 1 players, we’ve created a manual setup feature for you to join in the fun too!
Higher Visual Fidelity on Quest 3
With the performance headroom of Quest 3's new chipset, Puzzling Places now runs at 1.5x default render resolution with 4x MSAA anti-aliasing! This means that pieces will look sharper and crisper than ever!
We've also introduced a new rendering mode setting (High Quality vs. High FPS modes) that allows Quest 3 players to choose between higher visual fidelity or higher frame rates (72hz vs 90hz) in performance-hungry scenarios.
While in most cases, higher visual fidelty are maintained in both High Quality or High FPS mode, in more performance-hungry scenarios (high piece count puzzles, Mixed Reality mode), the player's chosen rendering mode (Quality or FPS) will determine whether visual fidelity or a higher frame rate is maintained.
Refer to the deep-dive video walkthrough for more details about this new setting.
Bonus: Quest Pro Eye-tracking
For the Quest Pro aficionados, we're adding Eye Tracking Selection feature (which was included in the PS VR2 version of Puzzling Places). Pair it with hand tracking, and you're in for a super-futuristic 3D jigsaw puzzling session.
Here's a quick video walkthrough to showcase how it works!
1000 Piece Puzzles on Quest!
Lastly, in collaboration with Gerpho3D (the people who brought you the Mt. Saint Michel and Biarritz puzzles), we're rolling out a new DLC, Monthly Pack #18: French Chateaus, with 6 puzzles, two of which go up to 800 and 1000 pieces—a first for our Quest players!
Note: Quest 1 doesn’t have the performance headroom for higher piece count puzzles, so the puzzles are limited to a maximum of 400 pieces.
Stay tuned for a Dev Chat video podcast episode this Friday with Gerpho3D cofounder Philippe Graindorge to showcase how they 3D scanned these lovely French chateaus!
So, go ahead, update your game, play Monthly Pack #18: French Chateaus and immerse yourself in these amazing new features!
Thank you for your continuous support and love. It's the community that makes Puzzling Places a joy to develop.
Happy puzzling,
The Puzzling Places Team